In view of that, if history is really made to remind us about the past or to reflect on the good and bad past events, especially in our country, I think one should not always easily dismiss certain information or rumuors in the country. The fact is, in many cases, where there is smoke, there is always fire underneath, regardless of how long such fire will take to surface.
According to our troubled national history, Foday Sankoh and his unpatriotic destructive lieutenants launched a war that enslaved and destroyed many precious lives, a war that hurt many Sierra Leoneans, especially the poor and helpless Sierra Leoneans.
That did not really come about as a surprise because there were rumours or information about the training of some Sierra Leoneans in Libya to come and attack the country. And some Sierra Leoneans were openly saying on the streets around the country, in buses, taxis, bars and even university campuses that only a catastrophic war would solve the country’s problems. The hatred for the Joseph Momoh government at the time (80s) was immense.
However, the information about Foday Sankoh et al training in Libya was taken with a pinch of salt and easily dismissed by many Sierra Leoneans at the time mostly the ruling class and the elites who were far removed from the country’s realities.
Also, in 1990, when Liberian warlord Charles Taylor, the former President of Liberia, who is now a guest at an ICC prison in the Britain threatened to attack the country by saying Sierra Leoneans would one day “taste the bitterness of war,” it was again laughed off by many Sierra Leoneans especially the politicians who woefully failed to set up any serious security measures to protect the nation.
Now there are threats and actual terrorist attacks closer to home in Mali and Burkina Faso. Boko Haram has been kiling Nigerians, Nigeriens, Chadians and Cameroonians for quite some time now too.
It’s time for the government and people of Sierra Leone to wake up now and start putting in place preventive measures like neighbouring Guinea and Senegal are now doing (they have actually arrested and detained alleged terrorists).
There is no need to emphasize the fact we are not totally safe as a country (even though our Muslim population is generally very moderate and very tolerant and patriotic) because many West African countries are being attacked or face the threat of attacks by islamic extremists or jihadists as they are sometimes called.
The Islamic extremist terrorists, Al-Shabab of Somalia threatened to attack our country about two years ago (because of our peace-keepers in that country) and also in 2015, during the former Vice President Sam Sumana saga, one of the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) supporters, in an audio clip online, claimed that he had a connection with the islamic extremist terrorist group, Boko Haram in Nigeria. It probably was just a stupid prank but such incidents or manifestations should always be taken very seriously by our security agencies.
What are we going to say about the current arrest of six criminals with fake passports by the honest, patriotic and hard working Sierra Leonean security agents and others at Lungi Airport? Who knows the mission of such wicked satanic criminals with fake passports, whose real identities are yet to be revealed to us?.
Who knows how many sponsored Sierra Leoneans and other nationals that are currently in the training camps of African countries, particularly West African terrorist training camps? It’s not impossible, folks. Snap out of it and smell the coffee.
Please let us don’t pretend that we do not have enemies of peace and development; disgruntled Sierra Leonean elements, particularly the unpatriotic politicians who always want to see the country on fire because of their hunger for political power.
According to their writings and comments, you will know that they are always willing and happy to see that the country go back to the dark days of Foday Sankoh and his sponsors (both local and foreign) if given the slightest chance.
Even the cost of the valuable lives of their fellow Sierra Leoneans, especially the poor, powerless and defenceless Sierra Leoneans that they are criminally claiming to be fighting for, is not their business, as long as they have the power.
Therefore, I am appealing to all peace, unity, progress and development oriented Sierra Leoneans in and out of the country not to encourage such satanic Sierra Leoneans in their midst.
In view of that every nationalistic Sierra Leonean should be a security agent for one another, especially the poor and defenceless and vulnerable Sierra Leoneans in the country that usually become victims of circumstance, particularly the innocent students, traders, okada riders, commercial drivers (up-line drivers), taxi drivers, musicians,cookery shop owners, restaurant owners, sex-workers, night-club owners, cinema operators, hotel managements and religious groups; they should always monitor their clients and customers and pass on relevant information to the appropriate authorities, especially on any movements or activities that they are not satisfied with or suspicious of because prevention is always better than cure.
To the border national security agencies, including the police and military, you have been doing a very great and fantastic job in keeping your country safe. Please continue doing your good job as true and honest patriotic citizens.
Always be awake and alert, especially in monitoring the country, particularly the in and out movements of your fellow Sierra Leoneans and other nationals. Please do not waste time in taking swift necessary action to protect the country from the hands of wicked enemies of peace and development. Please do not allow them to executive their devilish and diabolic plans that will lead to the destruction of innocent precious lives and property in the country.
As you know,terrorists in most cases are not foreigners, they are usually your brothers and sisters that you eat and sleep together with or do things in common in the country. They are usually recruited secretly and sponsored with huge amounts of money by power hungry, wicked and unpatriotic politicians within and outside the country at the expense of the nation, especially now that the general elections for 2018 storm has commenced.
So if we accept that we have enemies of peace, progress and development in and out of the country, we SHOULD NOT only dismiss rumours of war or terrorists in the country and go to our beds and sleep without putting very serious security measures in place to protect the country from any unexpected events like how the Foday Sankoh killing spree took place in the 90s in the country and also the recent Ebola Virus Disease that attacked the country at a time when we were not prepared for it.
In view of that we should not allow our Ebola virus Sierra Leonean and other nationals to take us by surprise like in the past. Mind you, if you are sleeping, they (enemies of peace, progress and development) are not sleeping.
Remember, God helps those that help themselves. Security is number one priority in every country these days. Or is supposed to be.
